Spaghetti and Meatballs (spicy!)

Spaghetti and Meatballs. No cool story, not a lot of thought behind it. Woke up one morning and really wanted some spaghetti and meatballs. I wanted crusty bread on the side. A red checkered tablecloth with a melted down candle in the middle. Well I couldn’t get the rest of it but I was able to get my noodle twirl on!

Meatballs:

1 1/4 lbs ground beef (I used 93/7 but pick whatever makes you happy)

1 cup of parmesean romano grated cheese blend

1 tbsp of dried parsley

1/4 cup of italian bread crumbs

1 egg

salt and pepper

Sauce:

2-28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 of a large spanish onion, diced

6 basil leaves

3 dried bay leaves

1 tbsp of oregano

1/2 tbsp of chili flakes

2 tsps of dried parsley

1 tbsp of salt

2 tsps of pepper

1/2 cup of spaghetti cooking water

Cooking: In a big bowl mix all the ingredients by hand (make sure you don’t over mix it because you don’t want tough meatballs). Once all mixed together make into little balls, smaller than a tennis ball but larger than a golf ball.

In a large deep skillet add some olive oil and heat to medium. Add meatballs and begin browning. Once half of meatball is browned sprinkle the onions around the meatballs and brown the other side.

Once all sides of the meatballs are browned and the onions are starting to cook down add the garlic and cook until it begins to release that awesome garlic smell, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the 2 cans of tomatoes, basil, bay leaves, oregano, chili flakes, parsley, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer about 5 mins. Add 1/2 cup of the spaghetti cooking liquid, cook for 5 more minutes. Take meatballs out and place in a bowl with an aluminum tent so they stay warm but don’t overcook. Let the sauce simmer for 20-40 mins (if you don’t have time to do it you can simmer for 10 mins but the longer you let simmer the better the flavors combine).

Once cooked add the meatballs and let them sit for a few minutes to make sure they are warmed all the way through.

Place sauce and meatballs over cooked spaghetti (cook according to package).